Do You Still Use Tea Towels?

It's a dish rag and tea towel here. Dish rag is crocheted. Tea towels are for dishwasher (some things are full of water); hand towel hanging on the oven door as well as a tea towel for drying dishes that don't go into the dishwasher. All are thrown into the laundry every other day or sooner if I am having a cooking spell.
 

I always have one beside the kitchen sink, but have never heard it called a "tea towel", it's simply a dish towel. I primarily use it for wiping down the counter and sink, not drying dishes, I let the dishes drip dry in a rack.
 

I call them dish towels or kitchen towels and use them on a regular basis for all manner of things. Terrycloth towels for rying dishes, drying hands, drying counters after wiping them with a microfiber cloth or kitchen sponge. Flat cotton weave for sopping up moisture from freshly washed lettuce leaves and other produce.

I have at least 25 in my kitchen (plus a similar number that are holiday-themed) plus another 8-10 in the RV, and do a towel wash at least weekly. When towels get tired they get cut in half to be used as rags.

High quality, inexpensive, cute kitchen towels used to be widely available. No more. When I need new towels I buy an 8 or 10 pack from Costco.

In my kitchen, paper towels are used only for messy jobs like cleaning the coffee residue from the Keurig. A roll lasts me 2-3 months. DH also keeps a roll over his workbench.
 
Oh yes, I use tea towels aplenty. I get through maybe 4 or five them daily. I am always drying the washing, I line the side of the sink and splashback, I dry my worktops - many uses. I kept my supply of tea towels laundered and dried in a draw, always reaching fie a fresh one soon as they get too wet.
 
I use reusable towels from Amazon .and have cut paper towel usage way way down. I do not put food on them as they are made from recycled plastic.Now they have them in all kinds of colors and sizes. We always called kitchen towels - cup towels. I do use those also
 
For hand washing dishes, I use a fabric dish cloth. It’s also used to wipe the counters.

For drying, it a dish towel, aka tea towel.

For hand drying only, it’s a similar sized but unique towel. Both hang on oven door.

Older dish towels turn into a liner for the fridge crisper drawer.

Dish rags are under the sink for small wipe ups on the floor.

Then come the paper towels, if nothing else will work.
 
I've found a lot of many best dishtowels at the thrift store. People get them as gifts or whatever and they end up there. It's where I got my prized Turkish dish towel. So absorbent for drying dishes.
Some are years old but never used and they were made in USA back when we did that. They sat in someone's linen closet and were maybe "too nice" to use. I'll use it!
I've started to buy one when we go on vacation. A useful souvenir!
Before you get grossed out, I only buy brand new ones. 😁
 
I didn't know they were called tea towels. We called them hand towels and dish towels.

I stopped using them. Paper towels are great for wiping grease and oils from fry pans prior to thoroughly cleaning the pan so I use them for everything now.
 
DaveA said:
Same here - -dish cloths or towels. Never in my life have I heard them called "tea towels". Guess I'm too low on the "class" ladder.
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If it's any consolation, I sincerely doubt you come from as low on the class ladder as I do. :D
 
Yes, two tea towels (dish towels), also one dish cloth, and a sponge in the kitchen. I do also have a roll of paper towels hanging. Everything gets washed very often. I can't imagine using paper towels every time I needed them in the kitchen, I would be spending a lot of cash on paper towels, can't afford that.
 
hearlady said:
I've found a lot of many best dishtowels at the thrift store. People get them as gifts or whatever and they end up there. It's where I got my prized Turkish dish towel. So absorbent for drying dishes.
Some are years old but never used and they were made in USA back when we did that. They sat in someone's linen closet and were maybe "too nice" to use. I'll use it!
I've started to buy one when we go on vacation. A useful souvenir!
Before you get grossed out, I only buy brand new ones. 😁
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Why would someone be grossed out about buying used towels? Next time I go to a thrift shop (a rare occurrence, but still...) I'll check for high quality, cute kitchen towels. Costco's are good quality and attractive, but definitely not cute.

I've purchased clothing from thrift stores, especially for costume or themed events. Also most of my jeans - and sometimes a shirt or two. Sure, I throw them in the laundry before using them, but after that I feel no differently about them than what I buy brand new.
 
StarSong said:
Why would someone be grossed out about buying used towels? Next time I go to a thrift shop (a rare occurrence, but still...) I'll check for high quality, cute kitchen towels. Costco's are good quality and attractive, but definitely not cute.

I've purchased clothing from thrift stores, especially for costume or themed events. Also most of my jeans - and sometimes a shirt or two. Sure, I throw them in the laundry before using them, but after that I feel no differently about them than what I buy brand new.
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I agree but some people are averse to buying used. I often buy used but for tea towels I like to only buy new and wear them out myself. Unless they were very gently used.
Somebody has got me saying tea towels.I mean dish towels but either is fine. 😊
 
hearlady said:
I agree but some people are averse to buying used. I often buy used but for tea towels I like to only buy new and wear them out myself. Unless they were very gently used.
Somebody has got me saying tea towels.I mean dish towels but either is fine. 😊
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I wouldn't normally buy used towels for any reason - new ones are reasonably priced and towels do get tired over time. However, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up some that were high quality with cute prints, in new or nearly-new condition. It just never dawned on me to look for them.
 
StarSong said:
I wouldn't normally buy used towels for any reason - new ones are reasonably priced and towels do get tired over time. However, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up some that were high quality with cute prints, in new or nearly-new condition. It just never dawned on me to look for them.
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I just got a giant new pkg of white washcloths at the thrift. I doled them out to my kids. Everyone needs extra washcloths.
My theory is people buy them or are gifted and they sit until they move or die.🤷
 
GoodEnuff said:
Not a thing of the past in my house. I keep two "active" tea towels at all times: one to only dry dishes and one for hands, wiping counters, anything NOT dish related. I consider the latter as "dirty". When the dish towel needs changing to a fresh one, it gets downgraded to use for hands, etc. It's a rotation system, lol.
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Exactly the same with my wife and me.
 
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